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Education minister must fix dysfunctional York school board: Editorial

Allegations of racism, secrecy and more at the York Region District School Board have angered parents. Education Minister Mitzie Hunter needs get to the bottom of it.

Education Minister Mitzie Hunter must investigate and act on the troublesome goings on at the York school board. (Nakita Krucker / Toronto Star) | Order this photo

Thu., Nov. 17, 2016

What is going on at the York Region District School Board?

Over the past year parents and others have complained repeatedly about a culture of secrecy, fear and impunity at the board when they have raised concerns about everything from racism to secret taxpayer-paid trips to Europe for trustees and staff and what amounts to a life-time employment contract for the director.

They’re right to be concerned. Indeed, Education Minister Mitzie Hunter, who recently met with the board’s director and chair, should dig more deeply into the troubling goings-on at the board. If necessary she should appoint a supervisor to take over until the mess can be cleaned up.

Among the most serious concerns is a lack of transparency in how the board handled allegations of Islamophobia against Ghada Sadaka, the principal of Sir Wilfrid Laurier Public School in Markham.

Some of the Facebook posts the principal is alleged to have shared and commented on include: Videos purportedly showing violent “Muslim takeovers” of Paris and London; articles expressing concerns about bringing refugees to Canada given their “terrorist sympathies”; and a post headlined “Must see: Dutch mayor tells fellow Muslims they can f--- --- if they don’t like freedom.”

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The posts came to the board’s attention in August after a parent complained. But it was only in mid-November that Sadaka issued a public apology — coincidentally on the same day that Hunter met with the director of education, J. Philip Parappally, and board chair Anna DeBartolo about the issue.

In a post on the school board director’s page, Sadaka acknowledged “sharing inappropriate posts on social media” that were discriminatory and promised to create an “open and inclusive” school community.

That’s not enough. Hunter said herself after her meeting with Parappally and DeBartolo that more transparency is needed at the board, Ontario’s third largest with more than 122,000 students. Despite that, it still refuses to tell concerned parents and other complainants, including two trustees, Allan Tam and Billy Pang, and the National Council of Canadian Muslims, what disciplinary action, if any, has been taken against Sadaka.

Parents are understandably worried. As the parent who first complained about the posts wondered: “How am I supposed to trust their words if I don’t see any actions?” Another said: “They have shown that they don’t deal with these things properly: they hide, they obfuscate and they block parents.”

Even the head of equity for the school board, Cecil Roach, says he is being stonewalled and feared reprisals if he spoke up about how the board was handling the Sadaka case. Indeed, he was so fearful he sought legal advice before going public.

Racism is not the only issue worrying parents this year. Consider:

A number of staff and trustees took secret taxpayer-paid trips to Europe in September for “professional development,” though the board is so short of funds it has asked parents for donations of tissue boxes and school supplies. According to insiders, trustee Nancy Elgie travelled to Finland for a third time this year on the taxpayers’ dime while trustee Carol Chan travelled for a second time. DeBartolo went to Holland with Parappally. What participants learned on the trips is unknown since no reports were released to the board.

The board gave the untested Parappally what amounts to a job for life. First he was hired under an unprecedented 10-year contract as director. If that isn’t renewed his contract states he “shall automatically be placed in the position of supervisory officer.”

It’s no wonder that 141 community members, as well as the Ontario Federation of Labour, have urged Hunter to get to the bottom of what’s going on at the York board.

That’s step No. 1 for the minister. If she doesn’t like the results, a takeover of the board should be step No. 2.

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